-LRB- CNN -RRB- There can be no March without the madness .

When it comes to college basketball , the first month of spring ushers in a frantic slew of games to determine seedings for one of the most fervently watched sporting events in the U.S. , known simply as the NCAA Tournament , or more often , March Madness .

Like English soccer 's FA Cup , much of the 68-team tournament 's appeal is its egalitarian system of pitting traditional powerhouse programs like Duke , UCLA and Kentucky against relative minnows like Saint Mary 's , Butler and Davidson .

And both competitions offer the carrot of being able to impress scouts from top pro teams -- a first-round NBA pick can expect to earn anywhere from $ 755,000 to $ 5.75 million . Not bad for a graduate .

Last year 's tournament reached 102 million viewers , while almost 740,000 fans attended the 36 sessions .

`` When you go to college , maybe your number one goal before you graduate is you want to be able to play in the NCAA tournament , '' says Bryce Drew , head coach and former player at Valparaiso University in Indiana -LRB- 28-5 , Horizon League champions -RRB- . `` It 's the biggest stage for college basketball , and it 's one of the biggest national events in all of America . ''

Drew knows just how big an impact that high-profile stage can have on aspiring professionals from beyond the major college ranks . His last-second shot for Valparaiso to beat the University of Mississippi in the first round of the 1998 tournament is one of the most replayed moments in March Madness history .

How it works :

Selection Sunday -LRB- March 15 -RRB-

A 10-member panel determines seedings for the 68 teams that make the knockout tournament

First Four -LRB- March 17-18 -RRB-

A format started in 2011 , 8 teams compete to qualify in the main draw

Second round -LRB- March 19-20 -RRB-

64 teams split into 4 regions : Midwest , West , South and East

# 1 plays # 16 in each group

Third round -LRB- March 21-22 -RRB-

Down to 32 teams

Regional semifinals -LRB- March 26-27 -RRB-

Known as the `` Sweet Sixteen ''

Regional finals -LRB- March 28-29 -RRB-

The `` Elite Eight ''

National semifinals -LRB- April 4 -RRB-

The `` Final Four '' is played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis ; minimum capacity 70,000

Championship Game -LRB- April 6 -RRB-

One of the most-watched events in U.S. sport

`` I had always dreamed of winning the game in the NCAA tournament -LRB- and -RRB- always dreamed of making the last-second shot . For God to bless -LRB- me -RRB- with both of things at one time is something that I 'll always cherish and remember , '' Drew says .

His father , Homer Drew , was Valparaiso 's coach at the time , and his brother Scott -LRB- now men 's basketball coach at Baylor University -RRB- was an assistant , completing the Hollywood scenario .

`` I do n't think any of us realized that they would show that replay the next year , and even the next year , and the next year . We were just so happy in the moment and never thought that we 'd be able to talk about it over a decade later , '' he says .

Showing the highlight is virtually a prerequisite whenever Drew coaches a nationally televised game , and is sure to come up next week when his Crusaders play in the `` Big Dance '' -LRB- one more nickname for the tournament . -RRB-

Drew was a senior nearing graduation at the time . Although he had heard about professional scouts attending his games , being drafted by an NBA team was still considered a longshot . After all , the last time a Valparaiso graduate dribbled a basketball in the NBA was in 1956 .

But that was before `` The Shot . ''

Although Drew says private workouts for pro teams solidified his spot as the first Valparaiso player to be drafted in the NBA 's first round -LRB- as the 16th pick , -RRB- he confesses that tournament attention is likely what got his foot in the door .

`` It helped me get my name out there , because they got to see me play against a different type of athlete in the NCAA tournament on a different stage , '' he says .

Observing athletes during March Madness -- when competition is at its highest level -- is the best way to gauge if they will succeed as pros , according to one player representative .

`` It definitely helps an agent to learn how a player will perform under a national stage , '' says Jared Karnes , co-founder of A3 Athletics agency in Knoxville , Tennessee . `` If they want to play in the NBA , they are going to be expected to play under a tremendous amount of pressure and attention . ''

Michael Beasley , the second overall selection in the 2008 NBA draft , is one of Karnes ' clients who has failed to live up to that pressure so far . Now 26 , he recently found his way back to the NBA with the Miami Heat after a spell in China .

Karnes , a former player himself at little-known Belmont University who `` had the unfortunate assignment of having to guard Bryce Drew , '' says he enjoys recruiting clients from smaller programs because they lack the air of entitlement that can weigh on household names .

`` A lot of times they 've had to work their way into the spotlight , and so they develop a hard work ethic , '' he says . `` They really have an appreciation about what 's happened to them ; the more you can identify a talent with a level of high character , as an agent you 've just found a terrific prospect . ''

Among the most successful small-program players in the NBA is former Davidson standout Stephen Curry -- the current MVP frontrunner with the Golden State Warriors . Norris Cole , who played at Cleveland State and won two championships with the Miami Heat , and Gordon Hayward , a starting forward for the Utah Jazz , have also made their mark .

Cole strikes a particular chord with Drew since they both came out of the unheralded Horizon League , a Division One conference made up of nine Midwestern schools . It was the less glamorous side of the game that set Cole apart from other prospects .

`` His defense is what helped him get drafted from our league , '' says Drew , who suited up for four NBA teams in six seasons before playing in Italy and Spain . `` A lot of guys can score and shoot , but when you get to the NBA , really being able to defend someone separates you . ''

Hayward led Butler -- a so-called `` mid-major '' program that exited the Horizon League two years ago -- all the way to the 2010 National Championship Game against Duke , only to watch his desperation half-court shot narrowly miss at the buzzer .

Although Hayward turned pro after the two-point loss , Butler 's exposure to potential recruits allowed the Bulldogs to return to the championship game the next year , and to the third round in 2013 . With an enrollment of only 4,500 students , it is the smallest school to play in the final for over 30 years .

In 2013 , Butler 's 36-year-old Brad Stevens became the youngest head coach in the NBA when he signed a $ 22 million contract with the Boston Celtics .

`` Even though they are so wildly successful as a team -LRB- now , -RRB- Butler right before that was n't well known , '' says Karnes , adding that it was Hayward who first put it on the map . `` You can find diamonds in these smaller schools . ''

Drew hopes to emulate Butler 's past success this postseason . He 's already led Valparaiso to its highest victory total and winning percentage in school history .

Led by 6-foot-10-inch Jamaican senior Vashil Fernandez -LRB- five blocked shots against Green Bay in the Horizon League tournament final -RRB- and 6 ' 9 '' sophomore Alec Peters , the Crusaders are hoping for a high seed when a 10-member committee meets this `` Selection Sunday '' to rank the tournament 's 68 participants .

Valparaiso 's nightmare scenario would be an early-round pairing with last year 's runner-up Kentucky . The Wildcats -LRB- 31-0 -RRB- aim to become the first team to go undefeated and win the national championship since the Indiana Hoosiers in 1976 .

Drew calls coach John Calipari 's team -- powered by a front line of 7-footers Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson , along with 6 ' 11 '' Karl-Anthony Towns -- as the deepest he 's ever seen in college basketball . Six of Kentucky 's players are considered worthy of June 's NBA draft .

While Karnes remains guarded about which college basketball players he 's scouting , inking deals with Kentucky players after the tournament is probably a longshot .

`` You talk about these smaller schools that are out there , we 're that way as a boutique agency , '' he says .

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Field of 68 gives small colleges a chance to shine

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Bryce Drew turned tournament fame into lasting pro career

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Pro scouts look for diamonds in the rough